


A Thousand Years

by BorrowedBlueBox



Category: Doctor Who, Torchwood
Genre: Also probably because of the angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Children of Earth Fix-It, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rating is for dropping the f word once, You'll probably need to see a dentist and a therapist after reading this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-27
Updated: 2015-03-27
Packaged: 2018-03-19 21:25:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3624798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BorrowedBlueBox/pseuds/BorrowedBlueBox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto died during the events with the 456, Jack continued living. Jack proves that even after a thousand years' time, he hasn't forgotten Ianto. The Doctor decides that he could've done better than Alonso.</p><p>I like to pretend that Child of Earth never happened but I found a great prompt for a fix it and figured it wouldn't kill me to write it. Loosely based on a prompt from tumblr and the song "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri.</p><p>Edited to fix the mistakes with the tenses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Thousand Years

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely based on a prompt from the tumblr account otpprompts and "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. Title is from the Christina Perri song.
> 
> Prompt: After Person B’s death, Person A covers the walls of their home with sticky notes describing Person B’s characteristics. Person A had never mustered the courage to tell Person B that they loved ‘em and is now terrified of forgetting a single attribute of their beloved best friend. About 6 months after Person B’s death a tornado hits their little house. The next morning when Person A returns to the rubble all the sticky notes are blowing through the air without a word on them. Laying there, in the middle of the demolished house is Person B, unconscious but very much alive, with Person A’s words inked all over their body. 
> 
> This has been edited and beta read (at 4:30 AM) so if there are any mistakes, please let me know! I'll fix them as soon as possible!
> 
> Constructive criticism is accepted but please no negativity. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or Doctor Who. The only thing I own is a computer, internet connection, insomnia, and an account.

Jack never got to say goodbye to Ianto. He never properly got to tell him how he felt. Jack had been around for a long time; he’d met people and had plenty of relationships in his time of living. However, there were only three relationships that meant the most to Jack; Lucia, Estelle, and Ianto and now all three of them were gone. He’d probably never get to see them ever again, it was times like this that he hated his immortality. What’s the point in being around people and caring about them, if they’re only going to die on you?

Jack had taken over Ianto’s flat since the Torchwood Hub was destroyed. It pained him and helped him, he was surrounded by Ianto and that in itself was painful and calming. He wasn’t likely to forget Ianto if he stayed here, that could also be in part to the thousands of papers and pictures taped to the walls, all detailing Ianto and Jack’s love for the Welshman.

A thousand years had passed since Ianto’s death and things were not what they used to be. Jack no longer had the flat, he had managed to build a cabin in the woods located far away from civilization and stayed there. He had transferred the papers and pictures to the walls and wrote on the ceilings and the floors, anywhere there was room for anything Ianto related.

“A thousand years’ time, you won’t remember me.” Ianto’s last words, they ring in Jack’s head every day. How could Ianto think that? Clearly, he was wrong. Here it was, a thousand years later and the only thing Jack could do was remember him.

He remembered the way the Welshman always knew when he needed coffee. He remembered those blue eyes shining brightly with mischief when he’d talk about the stop watch. He remembered how good Ianto always looked, he always looked so professional in his tie and suit jacket. He remembered the way the words “I love you” sounded in Ianto’s accent. He remembered the smile he had and the blank face he would put on when pointing his gun.

Since the 456, Jack had died so many times he’d lost track, not that he ever kept count. Each time, he’d awake to a world without Ianto and each time he’d wish that he hadn’t woken up. It was becoming more and clear that he was right; he could survive anything but Ianto couldn’t. It was all Jack’s fault too. If only he hadn’t done the things he did, if he hadn’t told the 456 that he’d fight them, Ianto wouldn’t have died there. Jack had to go and mess things up again, he’d run head first into danger forgetting that he was the only one immortal and ended up getting his friends killed.

Jack was cut off from civilization, he didn’t want to be around people, didn’t want to have a chance to get attached again. The only friend he had left still living was the Doctor, provided he was still alive. He hasn’t heard much from him; then again Jack was pretty well hidden. Jack didn’t know about the tornado that the area was being warned about. When the tornado hit, he hoped that this time, maybe this time, he wouldn’t wake up.

No such luck, he didn’t stay dead. Jack wasn’t surprised; he stopped being surprised after his tenth death. He was more disappointed and angry and bitter. Was what he did in his life really worth all the torture he went through? The last thing to go through his mind before he died was the question if this was the last time, if he’d finally see Ianto again; the first thought to go through his mind after he wakes is that life is unfair and he doesn’t deserve to live when good people have died instead of him.

Jack sighed and got up to study the damage the tornado did. His heart sank when he saw the walls ruined and his pictures and papers of Ianto were ruined. He’d lost him permanently now. Jack fell to his knees, crying over a bundle of torn papers, much like he had with Ianto’s body.

Making him continue to live was unfair; destroying the only things he had left of Ianto was unnecessary and uncalled for. It made him want to jump off a building in the hopes that he wouldn’t wake. What was the point anymore? A thousand years and he still loved the coffee bearing Welshman, a thousand years and he hadn’t forgotten a single thing about him. But could that change with the destruction caused by the tornado?

“Crying doesn’t do much for the intimidating persona you try to put on, you know.” Came a voice, a very familiar voice. It may have been a thousand years but fuck if Jack would ever forget that Welsh accent.

Jack whipped his head in the direction of Ianto’s voice and was shocked to see the Welshman sitting on the floor; Jack could see spots of ink covering what part of the skin was showing through the immaculate suit Ianto was wearing.

“Are you real?” Jack asked, hoping it wasn’t another hallucination. He couldn’t deal with a hallucination on top of the wreckage from the tornado, right now. 

“Of course he’s real.” Said a voice from a dark corner of the room. Jack looked up to see a young looking man with floppy brown hair, a bowtie and a tweed jacket.

“I could’ve done better than Alonso. I’m not happy about what happened, I’m in fact, very ashamed. However, this man was innocent, he didn’t deserve that. So I fixed it. What’s the point in being a Time Lord and having a time machine if you can’t go back in time and save some lives.” The young man said.

“Doctor? What---“ Jack began, looking at the man he knew well but didn’t recognize.

“Take care of him, Jack.” The Doctor said as he began to leave the room with a redhead that Jack was only just now noticing.

“Also Jack, please stop throwing yourself off of buildings.” The Doctor said, sticking his head back in the room only to disappear right after.

Ianto looked at Jack and Jack looked at Ianto, in the distance Jack heard the TARDIS whir.

“I’m not sure what these scribbles are.” Ianto spoke, breaking the silence.

And really? That was the most pressing thing right now? Jack laughed and gestured around the room littered with papers.

“This is about me.” Ianto said as he read a section on his hand.

“You were wrong. A thousand years and I never forgot you. I never stopped loving you.” Jack spoke up, his voice cracking as his eyes watered.

The Doctor had saved his Ianto; The Doctor had brought Ianto back to him. Jack would most definitely do what The Doctor asked him to do. He was going to get more time with Ianto. He was hopefully, going to be able to be with Ianto as the Welshman grew old.

“A thousand years?” Ianto asked incredulously. Jack chuckled, nodding.

“That’s The Doctor for you. His timing is always off. Never arrives when he wants, only when he needs to arrive.” Jack explained, moving to embrace Ianto.

“Needs to arrive? You needed me?” Ianto asked as he rested his head on top of Jack’s beating heart.

“I’ll always need you, Ianto.” Jack kissed Ianto’s head.

“Then it’s a good thing I’m here, sir.” Ianto smirked, looking up at Jack.

“It is a very good thing; I don’t know how much longer I could survive without you. Granted, this may not count as surviving, more just my lungs breathing without my permission.” Jack said with a small sad smile.

“Personally, I’m glad they kept breathing without your permission.” Ianto said and cupped Jack’s face in his hands and kissed him softly.

“I love you, Ianto. I never got to tell you that. You need to know that I love you.” Jack said, putting his forehead to Ianto’s when the two broke the kiss.

“I know that, Jack. I love you too.” Ianto replied, giving Jack another kiss.

Jack had never before been so happy that he’d woken up from a death. He had his Ianto back and that was all that mattered to him at the moment.

**Author's Note:**

> This was edited and reposted, if you see any mistakes that my beta and I missed when editing at 4 AM, please let me know and I will fix them! Thank you all!


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